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Faces of Victims

Udi Fogel, 36

Mar 11, 2011 - Udi Fogel (36) and Ruth Fogel (35) along with three of their children Yoav, 11, Elad, 4, and 3-month-old Hadas were were stabbed to death by terrorists in their home in Itamar, in northern Samaria.

Ruth grew up in Jerusalem, the daughter of Rabbi Yehuda Ben-Yishai of the Meir and Ora Torah Institutes and rabbi of the French immigrant community. Rabbi Ben-Yishai described his deceased loved ones as "pure souls, righteous of the earth, loved ones, holy ones."

Udi and Ruth Fogel lived in Netzarim, in Gush Katif, and after the 2005 disengagement from the Gaza Strip moved to Ariel. They settled in Itamar two years ago, where Udi served as a rabbi and teacher, and opened his home to his students. A former neighbor from Netzarim related that they were "an amazing family, always the first to volunteer for everything."

According to a neighbor and good friend, Ruth was an exemplary mother as well as a good teacher. This year she took a leave of absence from her teaching job to be at home for her children. She also devoted time to the young couples in the community, a subject close to her heart. Hospitality was an important feature in the Fogel home and they often hosted friends and family gatherings.

Udi''s parents recalled the last time they saw Udi, Ruti and the children, on the previous Saturday night. They celebrated the beginning of the month of Adar Bet in Itamar, danced, sang and laughed.

The eldest daughter of the Fogel family, 12-year-old Tamar, promised her relatives: "I will be strong and succeed in overcoming this. I understand the task that stands before me, and I will be a mother to my siblings."

Udi Fogel was buried at the Har Menuchot Cemetery in Jerusalem alongside her husband Udi and their three children. They are survived by their daughter Tamar, 12, and sons Ro''ie, 8 and Yishai, 2.